No joy in Mudville

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,
Report this post.

What has this latest IAF foray into Arab territory next door accomplished? Yes, it may well have interdicted and destroyed weapons bound for Hezbollah, weapons that might ultimately have threatened Israel at some future date. But the operation itself can hardly be described as a game-changer, certainly not a major turning point in a conflict where similar tactics have long been in use and, no doubt, will continue to play their part in times to come.

These and other usages of warfare represent only holding actions at best, incidents that shape and refine the course of events but in no way challenge or disrupt the contest itself. This continues to run on much as before, fuelled by engines of destruction buried so deep within the human psyche that, despite all efforts to power them down, they refuse to slacken off and release the many millions kept constantly in their grip.

That grip is just as strong as ever. Throughout every one of the last seven decades and more, there has been no lessening in its pressure, not even for an instant. And negotiations currently in train cannot hope to pry it loose nor force it from the preeminent position it has always held.

To do that requires something that can counter-command all the fears and primitive emotions stemming from so embattled a situation. Not, perhaps, the easiest of tasks at first or even second glance.